This edition was prepared by Barry Johnston — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Beneficence
Staff Notation • Sacred, Hymns
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2 editions of this piece
Different typesettings and voicings of the same work. This page shows the main edition; the others are below.
SATB · Barry Johnston
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Beneficence by William Billings — Lyrics
Alleluia. Reversionis Aggei et Zacchariae. Beatus vir qui timet Dominum: in mandatis ejus volet nimis.
Potens in terra erit semen ejus; generatio rectorum benedicetur.
Gloria et divitiae in domo ejus: et justitia ejus manet in saeculum saeculi.
Exortum est in tenebris lumen rectis: misericors, et miserator, et justus.
Jucundus homo qui miseretur et commodat; disponet sermones suos in judicio:
quia in aeternum non commovebitur.
In memoria aeterna erit justus;
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About Beneficence
William Billings, a leading figure in American colonial sacred music, composed this SATB setting of Beneficence. The work draws from Psalm 112, a text celebrating the blessed man who fears the Lord and delights in His commandments. The Latin verses speak of prosperity, righteousness, and the enduring legacy of the just, with light arising in darkness and eternal remembrance assured. Billings's powerful setting, often sung in English translation, captures the resolute faith and moral rectitude described in the psalm, making it a stirring declaration of divine favour and steadfastness for a choir.
